Ball-bearing.



G. H. CHAPMAN.

BALL BEARING.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11, 1913.

Patented Jan. 5, 1915' n a u H El H'o: nu

.vented a certain new and useful Improve-q aw I an warns ra rnn r rides.

CHARLES H. CHAPMAN, 0F "WINCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

- BALL-BEARING.

ileases.

Toall whom it may concern.-

"Be .it known that LCHARLES H. Gnar time citizen of the United States, residat Winchester, in the county of Middlesexland State of Massachusetts, have 1nment inBall-Bearings, of which the following is a full, clean-and exact description ."The object of this invention is to provide a simple and efiicient ball bearing, capable of adjustment as desired, and of having such adjustment fixed against liability of derangement incident to use. I Thednvention consists ofa ball bearing :in'fwhi'chthe balls are arranged n a ball- -Figure 1 is an elevation, with a quarter-sec tion in section. Fig. 2 is a view at right angles to Fig. 1, enlarged. Fig.8 is an ele-- vation of the locking spring detached, and Fig. i is an edge 'view thereof. Fig. 5 is a side View and quarter section of the cone forming .the inner member. of the ball-race.

.The so-called cone 1 may be a ring of suitable shape, havingthe circumferential tit) lib

groove 2. This cone forms the inner or central member of the ball-race. The outer member of the ball-race consists of what is termed the stationary cup 3, an adj ustable cup 4, having, respectively, the grooves 5 and 6, which are complementary 'to the groove. 2 in the inner cone 1, and a ring housing 7 in which. the cup members 3 and 4am mounted and supported concentrically with relation to the cone. The stationary cup 3 has the beveled back 8 to match a complemental part 9 in the inside of thering housing, whereby it is properly held in lace and in perfect alinement with the adjustable cup 4. i It is a well known factthat a cup screwthreaded and adapted to be screwed into a screwthreaded housing will, when screwed in or out, change its alinement with relation to a stationary and fixed cup, on account of the variation existing in the threads of either the cup or the housing. lln my invention the cup 3 is supported entirely by its beveled back 8 and the beveled portion 9 of the housing. The outside Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 5, iziiilfi.

Application filed September 11, 1913. Serial No. 789,361.

diameter of the cup 3, in practice, has an easy slipfit in the housing, so that the stationary cup 3 automatically conforms in its alinement, by the pressure of the balls, to the adjustable cup 4 at all times, thereby enabling the production of a practically perfect ball race. This alinement or adjustability of the stationary cup is obtained by virtue of the narrow width of the beveled portion of the cup, in proportion to the diameter of the cup, and the location of the points of contact of the balls within the cup, so that a slight variation of a few thousandths of an inch (which isbarel'y perceptible) is effected and is su'llici'nt to obtain the desired results.

Beyond the cup 3 the interior of the housing is screwtln'eaded, as at 10, and in this portion isarranged the adjustable cup 4:. Any suitable means may beemployed for 3 turning the cup i into the-ring housing, and I have shown one such in the lateral projections or pins 11 on the cup' and the hole 12 in the housing, to receive suitable spanner Wrenches.

The housing is provided with a groove-13 next a the adjustable cup 4:, and the bottom of this groove is provided with suitable re taining means, such as fine serrations, or corrugat ons, or the like, as indicated at 14, Fig. 2; and there is provided a rimflange 15 overhanging this groove vertically.

16 is an unbroken ring, of spring metal,

transversely bowed as indicated in Fig. 4; This ring has the projection 17 whose rim jections 20 separated bythe notch 21, and

the slot to engage the opposite pin 11. When the cup 4 is screwed in place in the housing, the ring 16 is'sprung into the groove 13, convex side inward with its serrated part .18 in engagement with the serrations of the groove and its opposite projections 20 also 1n engagement with said groove and its slots 19 and 22 1D. engagement with the pins 11, so that the cup 1 will be locked against turning in or out. Thenotch 21 will admit a screw-driver or other blade to remove the ring when desired. It is not necessary to serrate the projections 20.

It is to be observed that the groove 13 extends entirely around the housing, and that the spring ring may be snapped in at any part thereof so as to engage the pins 11 Wherever they may be set by the ad ustment of the cup 4. By the present means of adjusting and locking or fixing such adj ustment, it is possible to adjust the bearing to less than one ten-thousandth of an inch, and to fix it without disturbing or in any way altering the adjustment.

Any suitable arrangement of balls may be used; the preferred being shown in the drawings, and comprising load-carrying balls 23 separated .by tubular floats 24 within which A are the idler balls 25 of smaller diameter than the balls 23 but in contact with them.

These idler balls are located upon lines pass-' ing through their centers and the centers of the load-carrying balls on either side, and they serve to prevent cross-friction of the load-carrying balls, and also act as friction drivers to insure the positive revolution of the load-carrying balls. These balls and their floats are arranged in the ball-race formed by the cone and the cups and held therein by properly adjusting the cup 4 in the housing. and'fixing such adjustment by the spring ring 16. It will be observed that the ball-race is uninterrupted.

The cone and the cups are preferably made of high-grade steel, hardened and tempered to obtain both strength" and great wearing qualities, after which they are ground to perfect'measurement.

The ring 16 preferably is of steel, hardened and spring tempered. When this ring is sprung into plate in the groom in the housin it tends on account of its bowed form to lie at on the cup 4.

Variations of structure are deemed to be within the scope of the invention as herein claimed.

What I claim is:

1. A ball bearing, having a groovedcone, a stationary alinable cup, an adjustable cup,

- independent, bowed spring'ring adapted to engage the groove in said housing and the adjustable cup and lock the same against displacement. I

2. A ball-bearing, comprisinga cone, a

housingball cups within said housing, one

of which ball cups is adjustable within the housing and the other stationary and adapted to aline itself automatically with the adjustable cup, said cone and ball cups formin an uninterrupted ball-race, balls within said ball-race, and an unbroken, independ ent, bowed spring ring adapted to engage of which ball cups is adjustable within the housing, these members forming an uninterrupted ball-race, balls within said ball-race, said housing having an interior groove serrated in its bottom and provided with an external flange, and an unbroken, bowed spring ring sprung into said groove and provided with serrations to engage those in the groove, and means to interlock the spring ring and the adjustable cup.

4. A ball bearing, comprising a cone, a housing, ball cups within said housing, one of which ball cups is adjustable Within the housing and the other stationary and adapted to aline itself automatically with the adjustable cup, these members forming an uninterrupted ball-race, balls within said ballrace, the housinghaving an interior groove provided with retaining means, and the adjustable cup having exterior lateral projections, and an unbroken bowed spring ring sprung into said groove and engaging the retaining means therein and provided with slots to engage the lateral projections on said adjustable cup to hold the adjustable cup in given position.

5. A ball bearing, having a ball-race. made up of a grooved cone, a housing screwthreaded at front and provided with an interiorly beveled back, .a ball cup complementally beveled and fitted against the beveled back and self-alinable in said housing, an adjustable ball cup movably fitted in the screwthread, and means engaging the housing andadjustable cup to interlock them.

6. A ball bearing, having a ball-race made up of a cone, cup members, and a housing which receives and supports the cup members, the housing having a groove, and a ring having opposite projections to engage the groove in the housing, the projection at one point being notched to receive a detaching tool.

In a ball bearing, a housing having a corrugated-inside groove, an adjustable ball cup in said housing, and a transversely bowed spring metal ring adapted to engage such groove and said adjustable cup to lock the cup against displacement.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this ninth day of September A. D. 1913.

CHARLES H. CHAPMAN.

Witnesses:

OSCAR E. S'rnvmvs, FRED H. CHAPMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained forflve cents. each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C. 

